The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1887-11-12
A SPANISH pRovERs.
ssrhs Road Of by and ny Leads to the
House Of NevHR.~

A SPANISH PRovERB.
..rhs Road Of BY and ny Leads to the
House Of Nevsr."
The Spaniards have proverb: The
road Of BY and By leads to the house Of
Never" 1t is profoundly true. II the
old Jewish custom Of writing some
sentences Of holy writ on a piece OF
parchment and wearing 1t on the fore
head or over the heart. could be re-
vived the phylactery should be in
scribed with the words Of the proverb
the writer has quoted and put upon the
brow Of every youth In the land.
Procrastination Is not only the thief
of time. as the poet hath it, but 1t is
the besetting folly Of the timer 1t is
the laziness Of the mind as distinguished
from muscular laziness Bodily dis
inclination for exertion may be the re-
suit of physical weakness or of in
capacity. But the putting of until
tomorrow or next day, or the next
| week. or the next year. Of things that
may be done to-day is an operation OF
| the will
As small children put of their easy
tasks for the violent delights Of play.
so children Of larger growth put off
study and all the irksome labor that
| must be undergone in the requirement
Of knowledge, and as they grow older
and find they must bring up the ar
rears of past neglect, they keep on in
the old habits by falling behind their
immediate duties in all the relations Of
life.
They die in arrears. owing service to
their friends, to their associates and to
society. II they do not also leave be-
hind them unpaid debts of honor and
trust, it is generally because they have
lived long enough to wear out their
credit.
II the boys and girls could but be
brought to see and believe what the
grandmothers and grandfathers know
by sad experience. there might be a
salutary change. II doting parents
could be induced to insist on
me prompt performance Of proper
tasks, not so much on account OF the
necessity of the labor as in order &c
the formation of the habit Of doing al
once whatever it may be proper and
possible to do without delay, what fu.
ture pain and modification might be
avoided!
The provcrb is true. BY and BY
leads to the house Of Never. There is
absolutely no such thing as recovery o.
lost time and lost opportunity. Wha'
is put aside one day pushes aside some
thing else the next day. and so on un
til the fatal day is reached. Every pro
crastination works an irrepressible
change in the life Of the procrastina
tor What he should do is continu
ally carried forward in the book Of thu
recording angel in order to make room
for what he does do" As no da,
comes to any of us that does not brins
its full share Of new responsibilities
the to-days are never adequate for thu
neglected business of the yesterdays
Once in debt to time the debt remains
to eternity.
The schoolgirl who does not learn tc
read and write and spell and sew ant
do housework, neglecting her oppor
tunities to acquire such useful knowl
edge. is fitting herself for a washer
woman il there be no money to be lef
to her by her parents. II they shoul'
not know how to leave her, she woult
not know how to take care OF it, AM
would probably be some mans incom
petent wife and possibly drudge o
dupe.
The school boy who neglccts hi
studies and prefers fishing, baseball
and inordinate play to the acquire
ments Of rudimcntary knowledge viii
not be fit even to sell tape. He vii
not make competent weaver or black
smith. He must enter the fields Of un
skilled labor and take his chance Q
doing the rudest work for the smalles
pay. If he should have fortune lei
him he would only know how to spen
it, and he would be in great danger 9
degenerating into tramp. or fallin
into that ever open pathway where. 5
to speak, man walks down his ow
throat until he brings up in the gutter
Il That the writer is putting down tn
evil ways of procrastinaaon with
black pencil It is evident. Not ever
one who procrastinates is in danger Q
perdition.
i Procrastination in things proper an
necessary to be done is only spoken {
here. To deliberate upon what
proper to do is the part of wisdom. I
hesitate after the proper course ha
: been determined in accordance wit
, ones reason and conscience is tn
perilous thing which it is particular
desired to warn young people agains
The writer knows Of no single thin
which is SO threatening to the future {
: American youth.
/ We have arrived at that condition I
! national opulence when there is n
longer a hard necessity to drive youn
. people forward in the struggle for lif'
: Our children enjoy permissive optic
to do or not to do which was not pc
, mitted or permissible to the childre
, of the forcfathers.
The result is most apparent in tt
, half-knowledge and half-helpfulne.
which is becoming a distingnishin
characteristic of this generation. "
{ have too many oilers who need to |
{ pushed into industrial and mental az
| tiviiies. II they should be allowed
: wait until hunger and nakedness woul
push them the fault would be onl
{ partly theirs. Men and women are r
sponsible for the men and women tn;
) come after them.
, That by and By leads to the hou.
) Of Never is the proverb and trut
| that none OF us may with safety ignor
t Philadelphia Record